With luck, any reading practice involves reading with meaning! However it isn’t always possible to combine complex demands on comprehension, including drawing inferences, with straightforward texts. To build up fluency a child needs to do lots of reading until a small vocabulary is easily read. To comprehend text, fluency is needed or the child doesn’t hear the words coming back in his own voice like speech. So if progress is slow, a lot of practice material is needed. And children with learning difficulties or disability may need to revise early vocabulary all the time so mastery doesn’t disappear again.
TALK and READ 2-4 WORDS reading practice 1 Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Some ideas for use plus 8 ‘books’. Print the books double-sided on A4 and fold. Target language and concept development and encourage word recognition with repetitive text. Designed for young children with delays in language and general development.
CAREFUL READING LOWER reading practice 2 Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Print 2-up on A4 paper. Cut to A5 pages. The task is to look at the whole word and not just part of it. At the lower level the pages have words first with symbols and then without. The words only change by different word-endings. These are for good young readers or older children of lower ability who are focusing solely on the beginnings of words. Includes suggestions.
CAREFUL READING HIGHER reading practice 3 Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Print 2-up on A4 and follow suggestions. At this level, there are intentionally very difficult words, many of which the child won’t know. This is to force the slick reader to study the words carefully before choosing. There are ‘distracter’ words and pictures. Introduces new vocabulary and requires listening for meaning as well.
EASY BOOKS 1-4 reading practice 4 Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Four ‘books’ at the same level. There is no narrative as such but a theme may link the sentences. Print 2-up on A4 paper to make into small books, or on A4 card to cut to A5 and keep as separate cards. Can then be presented in any order and used as a challenge for ‘how many can you get right today?’
EASY BOOKS 5-8 reading practice 5 Symbols (c) Widgit Software 2010. Four ‘books’ at the same level. There is no narrative as such but a theme may link the sentences. Print 2-up on A4 paper to make into small books, or on A4 card to cut to A5 and keep as separate cards. Can then be presented in any order and used as a challenge for ‘how many can you get right today?’
READING 4-WORD SENTENCES (EXTRA EARLY PRACTICE) reading practice 6 12 ‘books’ with ClipArt illustrations and 4 words per page chosen from a list of 48 words. Please see separate guide (Easy reading vocabulary) for description and wordlist illustrated with PCS or Widgit symbols to know if the resource will suit your work. Plain text wordlist also given.
PRIMARY READING FOR MEANING (II) – NON-CONTENT WORDS reading practice 7 Illustrated with PCS or Widgit symbols. Sets of pictures with text captions which include many of the ‘little words’ that affect meaning. Captions can be read by child or adult as appropriate. The child must choose the correct picture to label. The choice he makes will help the adult to check comprehension.
TRADITIONAL TALES – THE FROG PRINCESS reading practice 8 A Russian fairy tale retold at three levels: simple plus symbol support of Widgit/PCS symbols, early reading with illustrations, longer version to read aloud (or accessible to children with RA 11yrs) with many opportunities for additional spoken language tasks. Additional activities: colouring, sequencing, read and match.
TRADITIONAL TALE – BLONDINE, BONNE-BICHE & BEAU-MINON reading practice 9 A French fairy tale retold at three levels: simple plus symbol support of Widgit/PCS symbols, early reading with illustrations, longer version to read aloud (or accessible to children with RA 11yrs) with many opportunities for additional spoken language tasks. Additional activities: colouring, sequencing, read and match.
TRADITIONAL TALE – THE REAL PRINCESS reading practice 10 A Danish Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale (AKA The princess and the pea / The princess on the pea). Retold at three levels: simple plus symbol-support of Widgit/PCS symbols, early reading with illustrations, and a version as a poem to read aloud (or for readers with RA 10-11y). Additional activities: colouring, read / match caption to picture and sequence.
TRADITIONAL TALE – LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD reading practice 11 A fairy tale retold at three levels: simple plus symbol-support of Widgit/PCS symbols, early reading with illustrations, longer version to read aloud with many opportunities for spoken language tasks. Additional activities: colouring, read / match caption to picture and sequence. (The simple stories are based on a translation of the original Charles Perrault telling.)
TRADITIONAL TALE – THE TWELVE BROTHERS reading practice 12 Traditional tale – The Twelve Brothers. A Brothers Grimm German fairy tale retold at three levels: simple plus symbol-support of Widgit/PCS symbols, early reading with illustrations, longer version to read aloud with many opportunities for spoken language tasks RA 11y approx. Additional activities: colouring, read / match caption to picture and sequence, tessellations with suggestions.
TRADITIONAL TALE – CINDERELLA reading practice 13 Traditional tale – Cinderella. A tale which is known in many countries. Retold at three levels: simple plus symbol-support of Widgit/PCS symbols; early reading with illustrations; longer version (RA 11y approx.) to read aloud, with many opportunities for spoken language tasks. Additional activities: colouring, read / match caption to picture and sequence the story; Write-about outline booklet with 8 pictures as prompts; tessellations. With Guide.
TRADITIONAL TALE – THE MAGIC HORSE reading practice 14 A tale originally called The Ebony Horse from 1001 Arabian Nights. Retold at three levels: plus symbol-support of Widgit/PCS symbols; early reading with illustrations; longer version (RA 11y approx.) to read aloud, with many opportunities for spoken language tasks. Additional activities: colouring; read / match caption to picture and sequence the story; Write-about outline booklet with 8 pictures as prompts; tessellations. With Guide.
TRADITIONAL TALE – THE LADY AND THE LION reading practice 15 Rather similar tales by the Brothers Grimm have been used for reference. Retold at three levels: simple plus symbol-support of Widgit/PCS symbols; early reading (RA 6-8y) with illustrations; longer version (RA 10-11y) to read aloud, with many opportunities for spoken language tasks. Additional activities: colouring; read / match caption to picture and sequence the story; writing frame booklet with 12 pictures as prompts; tessellations. With Guide.
MARION BLANK’S LANGUAGE LEVEL RESOURCES reading practice 16 All of the stories have a related illustrated text at a 6-7y reading age level. See the page for the TES links. Each resource contains several items and costs £4. Titles to date include
- a seaside happening
- a garden through the seasons
- a dream about meeting the Queen
- the adventures of two young friends
- all about me
- the park through the seasons
- different habitats
- fairy tales 1 (The Little Mermaid/ Beauty and the Beast/ Snow White)
- fairy tales 2 (Sleeping Beauty/ Jack & the Beanstalk/ Little Red Riding Hood)
- fairy tales 3 (Goldilocks & the Three Bears / The Ugly Duckling / The King’s New Suit)
languageisheartosay.com 